• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, December 4, 2013

Forrester Research's report, "Why Every Online Retailer Needs To Think Green," found green retail initiatives attract and retain high-value customers. Some 60% of the retailers the research firm reviewed offered a corporate social responsibility report or some similar online resource to show their commitment, but the quality of those efforts vary dramatically.

Better understanding green consumers who shop online will help those retailers that fall short fulfill environmental requirements and win over those willing to spend more throughout their lifespan.

Forrester used its consumer technographics data to segment U.S. online adults into four categories: super-green, green, yellow, and red.

Interestingly, about 50% of today's U.S. online adults fall into either the super-green or green categories, who are interested or very interested in buying green products or buying from brands that engage in green initiatives, such as supply chain transparency or carbon reporting. Super-green consumers spend an average of $3,422 online annually, whereas green consumers spend $1,808. They spend more online than the average U.S. adult and are more affluent than their peers. Some 79% of green and super-green U.S. online adults say they have purchased a product online in the past three months.

Forrester estimates that super-green consumers are the biggest opportunity for online retailers, because they are more likely than the other segments and the average U.S. online adult to buy via most channels, including mobile. They make on average nearly 40 online purchases annually, compared with the U.S. online adult average of 27.

In fact, 38% of green consumers said they would spend more for products that are consistent with an image they like. They also are more likely to recommend the product to others. Some 43% of green consumers said they encourage family and friends to buy environmentally friendly products, while 95% of super-green consumers share that sentiment.

Google, Microsoft and Yahoo try to support green consumers. I'm not too aware of green search engine marketing companies aside from Covario, which highlights its social responsibility to a greener world in brochures to clients. I'm sure they're out there. How green are you?